Gambling ring suspect surrenders to police

After evading authorities for 10 months, a suspect believed to be involved in an illegal online gambling ring overseas surrendered to police in Anhui province on Sunday.

Police in Lu'an, Anhui, apprehended the suspect, surnamed Wang, upon his arrival at Anhui's Hefei Xinqiao International Airport from Indonesia, the police said in a statement.

It's alleged Wang played a crucial role in the ring, establishing multiple online gambling platforms abroad offering nearly 100 games. The group attracted Chinese citizens through online advertisements, enticing them to participate via web pages and mobile apps.

The group is believed to have used agents within China who actively recruited gamblers domestically.

Investigations revealed that the annual turnover of the gambling platform exceeded 350 million yuan ($49.2 million), involving more than 100,000 gamblers across 25 provinces and cities nationwide.

In October 2022, public security organs in Lu'an collaborated with police in the 25 provinces and cities, detaining 252 criminal suspects.

Among them, 187 were involved in cross-border gambling activities and returned to China. Authorities froze more than 20 million yuan in funds linked to the case and seized 32 properties.

During the 2022 investigation, it was discovered that Wang had evaded capture and remained abroad.

In March last year, law enforcement agencies coordinated with Interpol to issue a red notice for Wang.

Earlier this month, with support from other departments, police discovered Wang's overseas hideout and persuaded him to return. Subsequently, Wang contacted Chinese police and voluntarily returned to China.

Wang has confessed to his involvement in the gambling ring, police said in the statement.

Regardless of the size of a case or the severity of the charges, law enforcement agencies in China are committed to cooperating with international law enforcement and judicial departments, employing all measures to apprehend and bring overseas fugitives to justice, the statement said.

The police urged fugitive suspects abroad to surrender promptly so they can be eligible for more lenient punishment, it said.

On Jan 16, the Ministry of Public Security conducted a nationwide teleconference on cracking down on cross-border gambling.

Emphasizing the need to accurately understand new trends and situations related to the crime, it called for coordinating various resources, strengthening intelligence collection and improving analysis.

The ministry directed public security organs to organize operations targeting physical venues and networks working to attract gamblers in China.

Additionally, it highlighted the need to increase international law enforcement cooperation, launch special operations to pursue overseas fugitives and conduct severe crackdowns on crimes spawned by cross-border gambling such as extortion and kidnapping.

Authorities were advised to intensify port inspections and cut off illegal gambling channels.

Furthermore, efforts should be increased to dismantle underground banks and shutter illegal payment platforms involved in gambling.

The need to regularly eliminate gambling websites and apps was also stressed, it said.